Using bucket as work platform.

[Soundguy]

Lots of implements with hyds have drop in 'locks' to prevent hyd cyl colapse beyond a certain point. The hyd lift cyls on my JD batwing mower have locks that flip over the exposed piston rod for when yuo are transporting the mower down the road.. that way if there is a hyd failure.. or if hyds are not available on the tow vehicle, you are set, without the fear of the mower bottoming out on the road.

Soundguy

 

[slowzuki]

I'll tag on a story, working in a frozen food warehouse back in school I watched 8 tons of banannas take the express ride down from 20 ft up when the internal relief valve of the fork lift blew. The fork lift was in good shape and had regular maintenance but the spring or something just gave out.

I frequently have to remind people to stay out from under the bucket of the tractor.

I recently had a scare too forgeting the machine was in 2wd while taking section of my building downhill to the building. Nearly punched a hole in the wall as I slid to a stop about 6" short of it.

 

[kwolfe]

I have been following this thread off & on. While getting the Christmas tree today at a local cut your own tree farm. The owner related a twist to this topic.
He was stringing lights on some of his 20' fir trees with 2 helpers. He was operating his JD 4510 as a lift, with a pallet as the platform on pallet forks.
The two helpers were on the platform at full height stringing lights, when the owner was called away from the tractor. Both helpers continued stringing the lights. At this point, the helpers 10 y/o son climbs on the tractor, and grabs the loader joystick. The platform dropped 4' as the hollering started. Fortunately the only injury was to the feelings of the 10 y/o son as the owner corrected his behavior.

As he told the story, I stated my reaction, which is that tractors & 10 y/o kids are not a good combination, nor are folks of any age who are unfamiliar with the equipment at hand.

In this case, no mechanical failure occurred, just the curiosity of a 10 y/o kid.
The failure was that the owner neglected to insure the safety of the helpers depending on him. I imagine that if this technique is used in the future, he will lower the work platform/loader to the ground, prior to leaving the tractor seat.

In a side note, when I arrived to cut down the Christmas tree with chain saw in hand, he stated that due to liability issues, I could only use a hand saw.
"Safety First" I guess.......

WALT

My Kubota loader has a sliding bolt that locks the joystick, preventing it from moving around. That would have helped your situation. Still, need to be safe though.

 

[patrick_g]

Those joy stick locks are to keep the operator from accidently moving the controls and don't make the device safer as regards hydraulic failure.

Now as to the kid. Notice the complexity of the games they play? I don't think the joystick lock would have changed much. If he wanted to "see what this does" the lock would have not made much difference.

Pat

 

[JBX]

Hi Henro,
Thank you for the post and picture.
You are brave! That is not a safe setup!
However, I am sure you knew that and I am guilty of this type of work platform also.

Don't work off that plank setup again! But if you do, may I make a couple of suggestions?

1. tie or fasten the plank ends down so they don't slip or slide on the smooth metal.
2. Make sure any electric lines around you are dead or safely insulated.
3. Consider wearing a safety harness with a "D" ring on the back with a short safety lanyard, and use it clipped onto an eyebolt or something that is screwed or bolted onto the house. Everything under this setup was metal and hard edged.
4. It is a good idea to have a helper, or spotter or "gopher".
No, I am not picking on you, just offering some advice.
May you live long and prosper with your tractor.

 

[InspectorGadget]

I have a set of Paynes clamp on forks for my bucket and I hook them into a heavly covered pallet and use it as a work platform all the time. Good thing I don't keep much life insurance as the wife is my driver. If I were more heavily insured I might be more cautious thinking she might be tempted to try to make a mistake and then be able to turn in a claim. LOL
C-YA RL

 

[Rara Avis]

There are many reasons for risk. They all have to do with some perceived gain:

As the U.S. slides into 3rd world status...then we too will be able to perform all of the above tasks...

 

[Chuck K.]

This worked well for a recent project

 

[3RRL]

This worked well for a recent project

View attachment 110737

That's funny Chuck, I got a kick out of your photo.
Looks like you made that just so you could get in there and drink a cooler full of beer!
2x high lol...

 

[Soundguy]

I've seen plenty of stuff like in those pics in rural america..stuff stacked on compact cars with arms hanging out the window holding them...

soundguy

 

[mrutkaus]

Great pictures! Boy, a tractor would make you a king in those circumstances...

Mike

 

[Chuck K.]

That's funny Chuck, I got a kick out of your photo.
Looks like you made that just so you could get in there and drink a cooler full of beer!
2x high lol...

Glad you like it Rob, I plan on making a metal version similar to one posted on here when things slow down due to the hurricane.

I noticed in a photo my wife took that the people erecting my shop even used it.. Big Joe (in pic) was scratching his head over the situation....

 

[patrick_g]

You can walk across the street without looking either way and maybe not get killed but that doesn't make it safe. Not getting killed (so far) is not a good gauge of risk.

Some things are just not safe no matter how described nor how much appreciated by other folks who either don't care or don't understand the level of risk.

Most people are not good at risk assessment, especially when the frequency of occurrence (odds of it happening to you) are really low but the severity of the outcome, should it happen, is really high.

Many think Oklahoma is a super unsafe place due to tornadoes. Tornadoes have done a lot of damage in Oklahoma. A statistical analysis of tornado danger near the geographic center of "tornado alley" (goes through Oklahoma) shows that the odds of a residence receiving significant tornadic damage (not just losing a few shingles and not necessarily being leveled but receiving serious damage that effects habitability) is on the order of once in 4,000 years.

There are a lot of folks with storm shelters (safe rooms) who on occasion when conditions suggest, go to them until the danger passes. Why? Although on average a residence may receive significant damage on the order of once in 4,000 years, what if this is YOUR YEAR?

Tractor hydraulics don't catastrophically fail all that frequently, especially if everything looks to be in good shape BUT it does happen. Why attract an epitaph on the order of "he was pretty sure it wouldn't happen to him."

I do dangerous things all the time and sometimes I get injured, mostly superficially as in bruises and abrasions but sometimes a broken bone or laceration that needs treatment (put thumb in table saw or such.) I do try to avoid intentionally risking my life in easily avoidable situations, especially when there are reasonable alternatives. The scarier events I try hard to not repeat so over time I tend to ratchet up my caution a click or two at a time.

Pat

 

[davitk]

Just to stir the pot.

 

[Soundguy]

I vaugely remember using my loader as a roof-lift by tying a couple pieces of bailing twine to the spool control so I could lift/lower myself.. was'nt great.. but it beats the wife trying to do it and dumping the bucket on me..

soundguy

 

[Egon]

Having spent most of my life working on industrial type sites subject to all the Government regulations plus company regulations which exceeded Government regulations and having seen hydraulics fail at inconvenient moments I'm at a loss as to why anyone would want to use a tractor bucket as a man lift. This is the same type of situation as working under hydraulically suspended loads like dozer blades or rear mowers. It could be hoped that the gene pool promoting this use does not reproduce.

On the other hand there are properly designed hydraulic operated machines in the work place for man basket operation. There are also other properly designed machines for lifting objects that work far better than a loader bucket.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Having spent most of my life working on industrial type sites subject to all the Government regulations plus company regulations which exceeded Government regulations and having seen hydraulics fail at inconvenient moments I'm at a loss as to why anyone would want to use a tractor bucket as a man lift. This is the same type of situation as working under hydraulically suspended loads like dozer blades or rear mowers. It could be hoped that the gene pool promoting this use does not reproduce.

On the other hand there are properly designed hydraulic operated machines in the work place for man basket operation. There are also other properly designed machines for lifting objects that work far better than a loader bucket.

So taking a risk = stupid. Perhaps there are other ways to generalize stupid with higher accuracy.
larry

 

[davitk]

My father was a general contractor. One of his most prized possessions was an old (it was 80 years old when he bought it back in the early 50's), stout 40' wood extension ladder; he was a big man and one of the few who could set it. I remember distinctly the day my little brother, then two years old, was noticed at the eve of our 3 story house looking up at Dad working on the 10 pitch roof He survived Since that time my brother has cut that ladder into pieces - he was carrying a bundle of shingles, broke through a rung, then two, then three..... He survived. Dad would not let go of that darn ladder until he saw it in pieces - actually come to think of it I have a few of those pieces in my barn.

Put me in a loader bucket any day, I will manage my own risk thank you very much.

 

[2manyrocks]

I have a machine with a ROPS that has a rollbar behind the seat and in front of the steering wheel. Sort of forms a cage. Well, it's convenient to stand on to cut low lying limbs, too, it doesn't move, and its easier than carrying a ladder around in the field.

But let's admit that this thread reached its high point with Spyderlk's post #185.

 

[tallyho8]

Yes, there are risks in everything. One of my friends who is (was) a fireman and was skilled in climbing ladders fell off one while painting a house breaking a leg, arm, ribs and a vertebrae. My neighbor in the next horse barn down the street fell off a ladder and is now paralyzed from the waist down. One of my best friends fell off a ladder and lost full use of his right hand and had to change occupations. All this within a period of 1 year.

I have many friends who have used a fel as a lift and none have ever been hurt. Perhaps people are more careful on a fel than a ladder as they know they are risky.